Begging Forgiveness
by Silverneko9lives0
Summary: Warning:Possible OOC and Spoilers from 4x08. After the Lamia incident, the knights haven't had a chance to apologize. Gwen gets Arthur involved and Arthur gives Merlin some authority.


**Begging Forgiveness**

_The knights owe Merlin an apology. A big one. Spoilers from 4x08, possible OOC_

_Okay: The first draft had an error: Elliot is not the same as Elyan. I am sorry. I am deaf in one ear, I misheard his name. No can blame me for that._

Merlin tugged his boot on when the door opened. He glanced up at Arthur. "I was just about to come."

"Gwen told me how Gwaine, Percival, Leon, and Elyan treated you and her during the Lamia incident."

"Ah." Merlin said, standing. "So…"

"So, even though you're a servant, their actions were…unknightly."

"Okay."

"So, I've left it up to you and Gwen to see to their punishment. Personally, I'd have them in the stocks."

"So what are you saying?"

"I told them that being controlled by the Lamia is a poor excuse for their behavior and they'll be your servants for as long as you and Gwen see fit."

Merlin stared at Arthur. "Are you feeling alright, Sire?"

"Yes."

"Positive?"

"I'm fine, _Merlin_. By the way, you have to polish my armor, clean my room, and muck out the stables."

Arthur patted Merlin's shoulder. Merlin scowled, following Arthur out. He'd feel bad if he forced the knights to do it for him.

But then again, revenge is sweet. Merlin went in search of Gwaine and found him and Leon together.

"You two," Merlin shouted. "Gwaine, Leon, I've got an assignment for you."

"You're not serious?" Leon said.

"Yeah, I am. Leon, you can go and muck out the stables. Gwaine, you're special assignment is to clean Arthur's room and polish his armor."

"Merlin, you're still a servant. You can't force us to do your job."

"Funny, Arthur said I could."

"But—"

"Hop to it. As of right now, disobeying me would be like disobeying the king. I could get you put in the stocks." Gwaine and Leon went around Merlin. Merlin grinned with satisfaction.

_Now, where is Percival?_

#

Percival was training with Arthur when Merlin found them.

"Ah, Merlin—"

"Stables are being mucked out, room is being cleaned, and your armor polished, Sire."

"Good. Now for some moving target practice."

"May I volunteer Percival to be the target?" Arthur seemed a tad hesitant at first, then glanced at Percival. "Sire, you did say…"

"Right, fine. Percival, get the target."

"What? But, Sire."

"Now, now, Percival, I've given Merlin such authority until he and Gwen are satisfied."

"And to disobey me at the moment will be like disobeying the King."

"Exactly," Arthur said. "Now get the target."

Percival glared at Merlin as he went to get the target.

#

"What task do you have in mind for Elyan?" Arthur asked Merlin at lunch.

"Elyan wasn't too bad. It was just those three mostly. Leon especially."

"Ah. Merlin, Gwaine was the one who was supposed to clean my room and polish my armor, right?"

"Yes."

"Do you see my armor?"

"Yes I do. That is by far the worst polishing job I've seen in a long time. And I don't get the feeling that he's really been punished enough."

"The stocks?"

"The stocks."

Merlin and Arthur clinked cups before sending a pair of guards to take Gwaine to the stocks. "Merlin, my armor still needs polishing."

"I'll get on it right away. I'm a bit bored myself."

#

At the tavern, Percival, Gwaine, and Leon met in secret. They felt sore all over. Each were dirty, covered in some sort of filth or other mixed with perspiration. "What did we do again to make Merlin so angry at us?" Leon asked.

"According to Gwen, we treated him foully when we regard him as a friend and even though we are ranked above him, friends don't treat each other the way we treated Merlin."

"Yeah, really, I meant to apologize for being so cruel earlier, but I…" Leon sighed, starring at his tankard of mead.

"Yeah?"

"I was embarrassed by my actions. I've never treated anyone like that in my life."

"Same here," Gwaine said. "And I really like Merlin." They glance at Percival.

"I don't know him that well," he admitted. "But I too regret our actions during that time. But if you think about it, it wasn't our fault."

"Yeah."

"So why should we apologize?"

"Yeah."

They sat in silence.

"First thing in the morning I'm going to see him," Leon said. "And give a proper apology."

"Me too," Gwaine said.

"Same here," Percival said.

#

The three knights stood outside the Court Physician's quarters. Gwaine pounded on the door. It opened and they were greeted by Gaius.

"Gentlemen, are you all sick?"

"No, Gaius, we're here to see Merlin," Leon said.

Gaius gave them a knowing look. "Well, I'm glad you're here to make things right with him. But you won't find him here. Not now. He and Arthur are planning something. I'm not sure what. You can find them in the throne room."

#

Leon entered the throne room first. Arthur and Merlin were smiling. Those smiles grew when they entered. "Sire, Merlin, we've come to express personal apologies to Merlin for our behavior when we encountered Lamia."

"Oh?" Arthur said. "Let's hear them."

"Merlin," Gwaine began, "we've known each other for a while and you know that I would never treat you so badly under any normal circumstances."

"As would I. Our actions were embarrassing and unbecoming of knights," Leon added.

"And to have been so patient with us during that time, we recognize that you have just cause to be hostile to us and we should have apologized much sooner," said Percival.

Arthur and Merlin exchanged looks.

"What do you think?" Arthur asked.

"I'm not sure if it's a Gwen Approved message."

"It does lack a little sincerity, doesn't it?"

"Maybe we should ask Gwen what she thinks."

"I'm not sure she'd think it appropriate."

"All right, you know what: what the hell! Arthur gets away with so much more than what we did to you, Merlin." Gwaine shouted.

"That's different. That's Arthur. Arthur is Arthur."

"And the king," Arthur adds

"Even so, we've been up all night trying to put our apologies into words!" Gwaine shouted.

"I don't like that tone. Do you, Merlin?"

"Not at all. What do you think? Stocks again?"

"Fair enough. Guards! Take Sir Gwaine to the stocks!"

"Merlin! You won't get away with this!" Gwaine shouted as the guards dragged him away.

"Sire, don't you think this has gone a little too far?" Leon asked.

"Honestly, it's not my decision to make whether it's too far or not. Rather that's up to Gwen."

"She hasn't been crowned yet and already she's the queen." Merlin said. "That tells you a lot, doesn't it?"

#

Merlin hovered over Leon as Leon polished Arthur's armor. "Does he always give you so many tasks to do in one day?" Leon asked, setting the breastplate down.

"Yeah."

"But Gwen never—"

"Well, like I said, that's different: Arthur's my master and at the same time, we're best friends. And you know what they say about the difference between good friends and best friends."

"No, not really."

"Good friends help you up when you fall. Best friends help you up only to trip you again for laughs."

"You trip the king?" Leon asks.

"Metaphorically speaking. He seems to trip me more than I trip him, but when I do trip him he never knows what hit him. Never."

Leon returned to polishing the armor. "You know we really are sorry."

"Nice try."

"I'm trying to be sincere!"

"Really? It sounded like you were trying to get out of polishing the king's armor."

"No—I—Merlin!"

"Well, armor doesn't polish itself and the sooner your done with that, the sooner we can wash the king's laundry."

"Merlin!"

#

Gwen drummed her fingers against the table. Elyan was slouched, trying to make himself unseen. Percival, Leon, and Gwaine stood before her in her house, waiting for her to say she'd convince Merlin and Arthur to forgive them.

"No," She said.

"No?" Leon asked.

"No. It was Merlin you wronged and until I'm convinced he has forgiven you, you'll just have to keep groveling."

"But I've been to the stocks twice now!" Gwaine complained.

"Something tells me you've survived the stocks more times than that."

"Well, yes, but—"

"Then what damage has been done to your insufferable pride? You may be knights, but more importantly your friends. Arthur recognizes that. As does Merlin."

"Okay, well then fine. Why does Elyan get off? He was there too!"

"I didn't treat Merlin like dirt," Elyan said, "her words, not mine. But I didn't stick up for him either. So I am in trouble, it's just that I have to answer to her." he points at his sister. "Rather than to Merlin."

"I thought you were older." Leon said.

"You know how some women are scary?"

"Yeah."

"Sisters, older or younger, are much worse. I'm more likely to cross Morgana rather than Gwen." Gwen stood and went outside. Elyan gathered them around. "Word of advice: Gwen won't be satisfied with any apology you make to Merlin unless you're crawling on your hands and knees for forgiveness."

Gwaine ran out of the house.

"Where's he going?"

"No idea."

#

Gwaine ran into the Court Physician's chambers. "Is Merlin here?"

"In his room," Gaius said. Gwaine ran up the stairs. "Knock before entering, Gwaine!"

But Gwaine did not hear him. He opened the door and Merlin gasped. "Merlin, I'm prepared to get on my hands and knees if it would do any good—" The floating objects fell to the floor. Gwaine stared around the room. "Merlin, please say I am hallucinating from the head trauma I got from an onion?"

"Sure. It was the onion."

Gwaine smiled, closing the door. "You can do magic?"

"Since birth. Gwaine, please, no one must know."

"I know, I know. Relax, I won't rat you out." Merlin breathed a sigh of relief. "So long as you polish my boots, clean my laundry—mind the socks—groom my horse, polish my saddle, and run me a bath."

"I'll have Leon and Percival get right on it." Merlin grinned.

"Nice try. But I know you can do all that easily. What with your little witchy powers."

"Not a witch. No dress."

"That's a good point. You have to do all that in a dress."

Merlin's smile vanished. "Gwaine, you can't be serious."

"Oh, but I am. But if you don't want to do it, I'll let Arthur know you've got a juicy secret he'd love to hear."

"Fine! Fine, I'll do it!"

"So…am I forgiven?"

"Yes, you're forgiven!"

"Don't worry. You still have Percival and Leon to boss around."


End file.
